The Billionaire's Insignificant Wife novel Chapter 143

The Public Deception

Clarissa stood in front of her bedroom mirror with a thin smile on her lips.

She wore an ivory satin nightgown – thin, tracing the lines of her figure, but modest enough not to appear vulgar in front of a small child.

Her hair was left loose with soft waves. Makeup minimal but flattering. A light perfume – nothing too sharp.

Everything calculated.

Clarissa glanced at the wall clock. Eight in the evening. If he wasn’t dining out, Daniel usually came home around

this time.

She stepped out of her room and walked down the corridor to Junior’s room at the far end.

Junior was sitting on his bed with a storybook in hand. His eyes were already heavy with sleep but he was still trying to read.

“Sweetheart,” Clarissa called in a gentle voice. “It’s time to sleep.”

Junior looked up. “But I haven’t finished the story yet, Mama.”

Clarissa sat on the edge of the bed. She stroked Junior’s head with affection.

“How about we wait for Papa to come home? We can ask Papa to read it to the end?”

Junior immediately brightened. “Can we?! Will Papa read to me?”

“Of course. Papa will want to. Now, let’s wait for Papa in the family room. We’ll have the book ready there, all right?”

Junior nodded eagerly. “Okay, Mama!”

Clarissa took Junior’s hand and guided him downstairs to the family room.

She settled Junior on the large sofa with the storybook in his hands. Then she sat beside him in a calculated position – her nightgown elegant but sufficiently inviting as she settled in.

Not long after, the sound of a car entering the garage came through. The front door opened. Heavy footsteps moved through the foyer.

Daniel appeared in the family room doorway. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of Clarissa in a thin nightgown sitting with Junior.

“Papa!” Junior cried, jumping up from the sofa. “Papa, I’ve been waiting for you! Will you read me a story?”

Clarissa stood and walked toward Daniel.

“Junior wouldn’t go to sleep. He’s been waiting for you because he wanted a bedtime story,” Clarissa said with a smile. “He’s been waiting quite a while.”

Daniel glanced at Junior. The boy’s eyes were fixed on him, full of longing.

“Papa please!!” Junior called again. “You’ll read to me, won’t you?”

Daniel was quiet. He looked on with a flat expression, then glanced at Clarissa standing nearby with her sweet smile.

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The De options

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“Just for a little while,” Clarissa coaxed. “I’m worried Junior will have trouble sleeping if you turn him down.”

Daniel wanted to refuse. He was genuinely eager to see Alina. He couldn’t wait to see her reaction after receiving the red roses she loved.

But Daniel knew he could not say no to Junior. The child was still recovering from amnesia and needed emotional stability.

“All right,” said Daniel. “Papa will read to you.”

“Yay!” Junior let out a small cheer. He hugged Daniel’s legs tightly. “Thank you, Papa!”

Daniel carried Junior into his room, then set him down and removed his jacket, draping it over the back of a chair.

Junior sat waiting on the bed, still clutching the storybook.

“Which story do you want to hear?” Daniel asked, taking the book from Junior’s hands and opening it.

“The one about the dragon and the knight!” Junior answered with enthusiasm.

Daniel began reading in a calm voice. Junior listened with bright eyes.

Clarissa sat in the chair in the corner of the room. She watched them both with a gentle smile.

From the outside, this scene looked perfect. A harmonious family. A father reading to his child. A mother watching with full tenderness.

Clarissa’s smile grew wider. She studied Daniel more closely. Observing the firm lines of his profile. The way he occasionally smiled when Junior laughed at a funny part of the story. His large hands holding the book with care.

Clarissa felt something tighten in her chest.

This was her Daniel. The father of her child. The man who had once loved her.

And tonight, she had to make him hers again. Completely.

“Tonight,” Clarissa whispered to herself as she watched Daniel with eyes full of determination. “Tonight you have to be mine again, Daniel. Completely.”

After two stories, Junior began to drift off. His breathing slowed. His eyes fell gently shut.

Daniel closed the book and set it on the bedside table, then rose carefully. Ready to leave.

“Daniel, wait,” Clarissa whispered as she stood as well.

Daniel stopped near the door. He looked at her with watchful eyes.

“What is it?”

Clarissa moved closer with a soft motion. Her voice was low so as not to wake Junior.

“I’m worried about Junior sleeping alone tonight. He had a nightmare yesterday. What if we both stayed here? Kept him company? Like we used to when he was still a baby.”

Daniel looked at Clarissa sharply. “Clarissa-”

“Only for Junior,” Clarissa cut in quickly. “For nothing else. I only want to make sure he sleeps well. You can sleep on the sofa, I’ll take the bed. We’ll just be here in case he wakes up and needs us.”

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The Top Neophon

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Daniel was quiet. He glanced at Junior sleeping peacefully.

Part of him wanted to refuse outright. Wanted to step out and go straight to Alina’s room. But another part that cared about Junior hesitated.

Was it true that Junior had a nightmare yesterday? Did he really need both of them here?

“Junior is independent enough,” Daniel said at last in a firm tone. “He has been sleeping on his own this whole time without any problems. Don’t overindulge him, Clarissa.”

Clarissa felt a flicker of irritation but worked not to show it.

“I only want what’s best for Junior-”

“I know,” Daniel cut in. “But overindulging him is not what’s best. Junior needs to learn to be independent. Don’t let the good habits Alina has built for him be undone because you’re being overprotective.”

Clarissa felt rage ignite in her chest.

Alina.

Again, Alina.

Daniel praising Alina. In front of her. As though that woman was better at raising Junior.

But Clarissa swallowed her anger. She forced a smile.

“Of course. You’re right. Junior should be independent. I just… I worry a little because I missed him so much after all this time apart.”

Daniel did not respond. He didn’t even glance at Clarissa’s obviously provocative appearance.

The thin nightgown. The loose hair. The soft perfume.

All of it ignored.

Daniel only glanced briefly at Junior. Then he turned and walked out of the room without another word.

The door closed with a soft click.

Clarissa stood frozen in place. Her hands clenched tightly at her sides.

“Bastard,” she muttered softly, full of hatred. “You absolute bastard!”

She stared at the door Daniel had just closed with blazing eyes.

“He didn’t even look at me. Not once. As though I didn’t exist. As though I was just a piece of furniture in this room.”

Clarissa walked to the window. She looked out with a hardened jaw.

“This is all because of Alina. That woman has poisoned Daniel’s mind. Made him blind to me. The mother of his own child.”

Clarissa pulled the curtains shut with a sharp tug.

“I have to do something. And soon. Before Daniel becomes any more entangled with that woman. Before it’s too late. He cannot be allowed to care for Alina and the child she might carry more than he cares for me and Junior.”

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Clarissa fell silent. Thinking.

Then a smile slowly formed on her lips. Cold. Calculating.

“Public opinion,” she whispered. “I still have public opinion. I still have followers who support me. Who want to see me and Daniel back together.”

Clarissa walked to the table and picked up her phone. She opened I*******m with fingers that moved quickly.

“If Daniel won’t come back to me willingly,” Clarissa murmured with a cruel smile. “Then I’ll leave him no other choice. I’ll use public pressure. Make Alina look like a home-wrecker. Make everyone despise her. Until she can’t bear it and leaves on her own.”

Clarissa took several photos.

The first: Junior sleeping peacefully with a storybook beside his pillow. Taken from an angle that showed the room warm and inviting.

The second: The chair where Daniel had been sitting, with the open storybook resting on it. The soft glow of the bedside lamp.

The third: A selfie of Clarissa with Junior asleep in the background. Clarissa smiling softly with eyes full of

warmth.

Perfect.

Clarissa began writing the caption carefully. Every word selected to draw out a specific emotion.

@ClarissaSterlingModels

“Finally asleep after Papa read him his favorite story. A simple moment, yet so precious after all this time. Nothing matters more than my child’s happiness. Thank you for tonight. #family #blessed #motherhood # gratitude”

Clarissa read the caption again with a satisfied smile.

Nothing explicit. No mention of Daniel’s name. No declaration that they were back together.

But the implication was unmistakable.

Everyone would assume she and Daniel had reconciled. Would assume her family was whole again.

Clarissa pressed post.

Within minutes, likes began flooding in. Dozens. Hundreds. Thousands.

Comments poured in.

@fashionlover_22: “OMG!! Are you back together?!

@model_fanatic: “Finally!! Junior needs both parents! So happy for you!”

@lifestyle_queen: “This is what a real family looks like! Not some contract wife!

@teamclarissa: “Mr. Blackwood finally came to his senses! Mrs. Sterling is the only Mrs. Blackwood we recognize!

@single_mom_support: “You deserve to be happy, Clarissa! You and Daniel belong together!”

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Clarissa read through the comments with a widening smile.

“Perfect,” she whispered as she kept scrolling. “Exactly what I wanted.”

She took another photo. This time Junior from a different angle. A teddy bear tucked in his arms.

“My whole world.

Nothing else matters when I see this peaceful face. A mother’s love knows no bounds. # Junior #myson #motherlove #family”

Post.

Within minutes, hundreds more comments flooded in.

@celebrity gossip: “Wait… is she back with Daniel Blackwood?! The first post hinted it!”

@model_insider: “Sources say Daniel has been visiting Clarissa regularly. Reconciliation imminent!”

@blackwood_watcher: “What about his current wife?? Alina something??”

@teamclarissa_official: “That woman was just a contract! Clarissa is Junior’s REAL mother and Daniel’s TRUE

love!”

Clarissa smiled broadly as she watched the conversation developing.

Public opinion was moving in her direction. Beginning to question Alina. Beginning to rally behind the ” reunification” of the Clarissa-Daniel-Junior family.

She took one final photo for the night.

A selfie by the window with the city lights behind her. Clarissa in her nightgown that read as elegant rather than revealing for public consumption, while still projecting attractiveness.

A soft smile. Dreamy eyes. Perfect hair.

“Sometimes the best things in life are worth fighting for. Worth waiting for. Worth believing in. #hope # secondchances #family #love”

Post.

The comments exploded.

@relationship_goals: “She’s talking about Daniel!! I KNOW IT!!”

@gossip_central: “BREAKING: Clarissa hints at reconciliation with billionaire ex Daniel Blackwood!”

@model_daily: “Clarissa and Daniel back together?! What does this mean for his current marriage?!”

Clarissa set down her phone with a deep feeling of satisfaction.

Three posts. Three small bombs dropped into the public consciousness.

By tomorrow morning, the media would pick up the story. Would begin questioning the status of Daniel’s marriage to Alina. Would begin pressing for clarification.

And Daniel would be forced to respond.

Forced to choose.

Public perception or Alina.

5/7

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His reputation or his obsession.

Clarissa smiled with quiet cruelty as she looked at Junior sleeping peacefully.

“Phase one… public sympathy,” she whispered as she gently stroked Junior’s head. “Check.”

She looked at her reflection in the mirror with eyes full of determination.

“Phase two, destroy Alina’s credibility.”

Clarissa glanced at her phone showing comments still multiplying.

“I don’t need to fight Alina directly,” she murmured. “I only need to make the public despise her. Make the media press down on her. Until she can’t bear it and leaves on her own.”

Clarissa lay down beside Junior. She stared at the ceiling with a smile on her lips.

“Daniel said don’t ruin the good habits Alina built for Junior,” Clarissa whispered mockingly. “But he doesn’t know… I will destroy far more than habits. I will destroy Alina completely. From the inside and the outside. Until there is nothing left.”

Clarissa closed her eyes. But the smile did not leave her lips.

“Good night, Alina,” she whispered into the darkness. “Enjoy your last nights as Mrs. Blackwood. Because soon… after all of this… that title will return to me. And you will become nobody. Just another woman who thought she could compete with me.”

Meanwhile in Alina’s room, Daniel had just opened the door after receiving a brief report from Mr. Harris.

He stepped in with impatience. Eager to see Alina and witness her reaction to the flowers he had sent.

But the moment he entered, Daniel froze.

Alina was sitting on the floor with her back against the wall.

The roses he had sent were scattered around her. Several petals had fallen. Broken stems were strewn everywhere.

And Alina’s hands-

“ALINA!”

Daniel ran toward her. He dropped to his knees in front of her.

Alina’s hands were bleeding. Small wounds from thorns that had pierced the skin. Several were still embedded. Blood was flowing slowly toward her wrists.

But Alina did not react. She only sat still with her eyes open and vacant.

As though feeling no pain.

Às though entirely unaware that her hands were bleeding.

“Alina, your hands!” Daniel took both of Alina’s hands carefully. “What have you done?! Why did you let yourself bleed like this?!”

No answer.

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The Pubes Peop

Daniel looked at Alina’s face –

empty, unfocused, as though no one was home inside her body.

“DAMN IT!” Daniel turned sharply toward the door and shouted at full force. “MRS. HELEN! MR. HARRIS! ANYONE! GET IN HERE NOW!”

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Daniel panicked

Hurried footsteps could be heard. Mrs. Helen appeared first with a pale face.

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“Sir? What’s wrong-” Her eyes went wide at the sight of Alina and her bleeding hands.

“Why didn’t you check on her?!” Daniel snapped. “Why did you let her get hurt like this?!”

Mrs. Helen trembled. “I-I… when I brought the flowers earlier, Ma’am was fine at that point-”

“Why didn’t you check on her again after that?!” Daniel’s fury peaked. “That is your job! To watch over and look after her! Not to leave her alone until she’s hurt herself!”

“Forgive me, Sir-”

“GET OUT! Bring the first aid kit! NOW!”

Mrs. Helen ran out with tears on her cheeks.

Daniel knelt in front of Alina again. He took her hands more gently this time.

He began carefully pulling out the thorns still embedded in her skin one by one.

Alina did not react. Did not flinch. Did not even pull her hand away. She only sat frozen in silence.

Like a doll.

“Why did you do this?” Daniel whispered in a trembling voice. “Why did you hurt yourself?”

Mrs. Helen returned with the first aid kit. Daniel took it without a word.

He cleaned the wounds with antiseptic. Wrapped them with white bandaging.

All of it done with hands that trembled slightly.

When it was finished, Daniel stared at Alina’s still-vacant face.

“Alina,” he called softly. “Can you hear me?”

No response.

Daniel closed his eyes. He drew a long, shaking breath.

Then he stood with a sudden motion.

“Mrs. Helen,” he said in a cold voice full of fury. “From now on you check on Alina every two hours, EVERY TWO HOURS. I don’t care if it’s day or night – if I am not with her, you are to watch over Alina closely. If there is so much as a scratch on her that I don’t know about, I will dismiss you and your entire family from any position connected to the Blackwood family. Do you understand?!”

Mrs. Helen nodded with tears streaming. “Un-understood, Sir.”

Daniel turned to Mr. Harris standing at the door.

“And you! What good is the security you’ve arranged if they can’t even watch over one person?! Are all of you completely useless?!”

Mr. Harris bowed his head. “Forgive us, Sir.”

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“Contact Dr. Ross right now. Tell her it’s an emergency. I don’t care what she’s doing. She has to be here within one hour or I will destroy her career,” Daniel ordered in a tone that allowed no argument.

Mr. Harris nodded quickly. “Yes, Sir. Right away.”

“OUT! EVERYONE OUT!”

Mrs. Helen and Mr. Harris hurried out. They closed the door quickly behind them.

Daniel stood alone with Alina, who was still sitting on the floor.

He stared at the scattered roses with a hardened jaw.

“DAMN IT!” he swore as he kicked the empty vase.

The vase shattered. Shards of glass scattered across the floor.

Daniel paced back and forth with his hands in his hair.

“I sent those flowers to make you happy, Alina!” Daniel’s voice shook with anger and frustration. “I tried to show you that I care. And you hurt yourself with them?!”

Daniel stopped. He stared at Alina, who still had not moved.

“Why can’t anyone look after you properly?! Why is everyone in this house COMPLETELY USELESS?!”

Daniel went to Alina again. He knelt in front of her.

He lifted her body carefully and carried her to the bed.

He laid her down gently. He pulled the blanket up to cover her.

Alina lay with her eyes open, staring at the ceiling.

Not blinking. Not reacting.

Daniel sat on the edge of the bed. He looked at her with a hollow expression. A mixture of anger, frustration, and something that resembled fear.

“Don’t hurt yourself again,” he whispered as he touched Alina’s cheek “Please. Don’t give me any more reason to worry.”

Alina remained still.

And Daniel realized with a sinking feeling in his chest that the woman he loved was no longer present inside her body.

What remained was only an empty shell that still breathed.

Forty-five minutes later, Dr. Ross arrived with her medical bag in hand.

Her face was slightly dishevelled – clearly just woken from sleep and forced to come.

“Mr. Blackwood,” she greeted as she entered the room with quick steps. “Mr. Harris said there was an emergency

She stopped at the sight of Alina lying on the bed with bandaged hands.

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Danel portiered

“What happened?”

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“Examine her,” Daniel ordered without preamble. “Now. Thoroughly. I want to know the state of her mental and physical condition. I want to know why she was able to hurt herself without feeling any pain.”

Dr. Ross approached carefully. She set her bag on the bedside table.

“Mrs. Blackwood,” she called gently as she sat on the edge of the bed. “I’m Dr. Ross. Can you hear me?”

No response.

Dr. Ross took a small torch from her bag. She checked Alina’s pupils.

“Pupils responding to light,” she murmured as she noted it down. “But no eye contact. No focus.”

She checked the pulse. Breathing. Body temperature.

Then she carefully unwrapped the bandage on Alina’s hand.

She examined the small wounds from the rose thorns. Several were fairly deep. But they had been cleaned well.

“The wounds themselves are not too serious,” said Dr. Ross as she re-wrapped with fresh bandaging from her bag. “But what is concerning is… she felt no pain when she was hurt. Or she forced herself not to feel it.”

Dr. Ross looked at Daniel with a serious expression.

“Mr. Blackwood, your wife is experiencing a severe dissociative episode. She has separated from her physical awareness. She feels no pain. She is not aware of her surroundings. This is a sign of very serious psychological trauma.”

Dániel clenched his fists. “What can you do?”

“I can prescribe a sedative to help her sleep. Antidepressants for her mental state. But Mr. Blackwood-” Dr. Ross paused for a moment.”–what Mrs. Blackwood truly needs is intensive therapy with a psychiatrist. This is not something that can be resolved with medication alone.”

“No,” said Daniel firmly. “No psychiatrist. No therapy with outsiders. You handle her. Here. In this house.”

Dr. Ross looked uncertain. “Sir, I’m a general practitioner. I’m not qualified to handle a serious psychiatric case like this-”

Daniel stood and walked closer. He held Dr. Ross’s gaze with cold, dangerous eyes.

“Listen carefully,” he said in a low voice full of threat. “I don’t care about your qualifications. I pay you well enough to do whatever I ask. And right now I am asking you to treat my wife. Here. Without involving anyone from outside.”

Dr. Ross swallowed. “But Sir-”

“If something terrible happens to Alina because you are incompetent,” Daniel continued with a thin, unsettling smile. “Or if she deteriorates because your treatment isn’t good enough, I will make certain your career is finished. I will expose every falsified report you’ve ever produced for me. I will make certain you lose your license and can never practice again in this country.”

Dr. Ross felt the blood drain from her face.

“I-I understand, Sir.”

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Daniel felt fury surge to his head.

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“Who the hell started all this,” he muttered as he kept scrolling, seeing comment after comment that mostly supported Clarissa and questioned Alina.

Daniel’s phone rang again. Marcus calling.

Daniel answered with a sharp motion.

“What?!”

“Sir, I’m sorry to disturb you so early. But the media has picked up the story about Mrs. Sterling. The board is requesting an emergency meeting at ten this morning. They want clarification about your family situation.”

Daniel closed his eyes. He drew a deep breath.

“Tell the board to do whatever it takes to suppress that story. I can’t go anywhere. My wife is ill.”

“Ve-very well, Sir,” Marcus answered haltingly, clearly unsettled by Daniel’s fury. “But Sir, several reporters have already gathered outside the office building. They want a statement about the rumored reconciliation with Mrs. Sterling.”

“DAMN IT!” Daniel struck the back of the sofa hard.

“What should I tell them, Sir?”

Daniel went quiet. He glanced at Alina, still sleeping with shallow breaths.

“Leave it,” he said at last in an exhausted tone. “Don’t give any statement or comment to the media.”

“Sir, this will only worsen the speculation-”

“I don’t care!” Daniel cut in. “Let them speculate. Besides, Alina won’t see any of this. She’s not even aware of what’s happening in the outside world.”

Daniel looked at Alina with a melancholy expression. Full of something complex – a mixture of obsession, possessiveness, and genuine worry.

“What matters to me right now is Alina. Nothing else.”

Marcus was quiet for a moment on the other end. Then carefully he asked again.

“Sir, according to our team’s findings, this story emerged from posts Mrs. Sterling made on social media last night. She posted several photos with Junior that… appeared to be family moments. Netizens assumed you and Mrs. Sterling had reconciled. What would you like us to do?”

Daniel clenched his jaw. A fresh anger ignited in his chest.

Clarissa.

Of course she had started this.

Daniel could not understand what Clarissa was trying to accomplish. And right now he simply did not have time to deal with her.

“Leave her for now,” Daniel said in a low, dangerous voice. “I’ll deal with Clarissa later. For now just focus on containing the story. Don’t let it spread further. Contact the PR team. Pay the media if necessary to drop it.”

“Yes, Sir. I’ll get on it immediately.”

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“And Marcus,” Daniel added before ending the call. “Keep monitoring the coverage. If anything directly harms Alina – something that could affect her mental health or jeopardize her position – then report it and we’ll address it firmly. But if it’s only gossip about me and Clarissa, ignore it.”

“Understood, Sir.”

Daniel ended the call and set the phone down on the table with a sharp motion.

He walked to the bed and sat on the edge. He touched Alina’s forehead gently.

“Forgive me,” he whispered. “Forgive me for bringing all this chaos into your life. But I promise I will protect you. Whatever happens out there, I will make sure none of it reaches you.”

Alina did not react. Her breathing remained shallow and steady.

Daniel kissed Alina’s forehead gently. Then he stood and walked to the bathroom. Getting ready before Alina woke.

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